


Redemption (of sorts)

by Burgie



Series: Katja Joins Team Good AU [59]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 15:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8806444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: After baby Mandy is kidnapped, Anne rescues her and begins to bond with her. Angst ensues once her parents come to collect her.





	

Upon entering the Dark Core compound, Anne decided that her new constant Shadow Sight wasn’t always such a great thing. The entire area was covered with a thick black smog, blotting out the sky above. She felt like she could choke on it. And she had heightened sensitivity to magic now too, so she could sense the portal from the very bottom of the base. It almost made her sick.

She wasn’t headed to the portal, though. No, Pandoria was the last place she wanted to go. And she wasn’t exactly looking for a fight. Not technically, anyway. It was just… she wanted to help the druids. Because if she could help them, then Alex might like her. She might have a chance with her after all. And, she supposed, it was kind of her duty to get rid of the bad guys. Being a Soul Rider and all that.

The sick feeling nagged at her like an ulcer as Anne walked through the base. It was a simple task to unlock the doors. Though they may never close again. Or even sit in the doorframes right. Oh well. She didn’t even flinch as another twisted hunk of metal that had once been a door crashed to the floor behind her. No, she was more concerned about the fact that nobody seemed to be in here.

Where was everyone? From what the druids had told her, the Generals, or Dark Riders as they were calling themselves this cycle, never left the base unless they were stirring up trouble. Or unless the druids were doing something big. So then where were they? Something was wrong.

And then, she heard it. Crying. Something deep inside her, buried beneath layers of fraying sanity and traumatic memories, recognised the sound and rushed towards it. But even as she ran, her mind was struggling to come to grips with it. What was a baby doing in this place? None of the Generals were pregnant, at least as far as she knew. Had they kidnapped a-

Mandy. The realisation hit her just as she reached the room where the crying was coming from. Her magic had no effect on this door. Well, never mind, she had physical strength to back that up. Magic-fuelled physical strength, but it was still more than enough to tear the door from its frame and hurl it to the ground.

It hurt that Mandy started crying in terror when she saw Anne. Anne wished that she could make herself look less terrifying, wished that Katja hadn’t surely told her daughter about how dangerous she was. She looked more like Alex in this light, only her features seemed finer.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” said Anne, walking closer to the infant in the tiny crib. Of course it was made of black and dark green metal, with a ‘DC’ logo on the side. The thought of some Dark Core goon, or worse, Sabine, stealing this baby from her crib and then carrying her here, enraged Anne.

True, Anne had once considered taking this baby from her crib and spiriting her away to the castle, but that idea was gone now. While raising Alex’s daughter was very tempting, it would be better if it were also Anne’s daughter. And Alex would probably hate her forever for stealing her child. Rescuing her, however… well, that would surely earn some points in her favour. But she didn’t want to just take the child back to her mother right away. After all, her parents wouldn’t be thinking right with how distressed they were.

Anne vanished in a flash of pink light, reappearing in one of the castle’s towers. She created a better crib out of the aether, and put Mandy in there. She realised, as soon as she was done, that she had no idea how to care for a child. Mandy might need changing, and she didn’t know how to do that. She might need feeding, and she physically couldn’t do that. She’d never be able to do that. She’d tried.

Anne dissolved into tears as her memories came rushing back. She found no irony in the thought that she was crying in misery in the same room as a crying baby. No, she was too busy remembering the many months of attempts. Attempts, and failures, and finally learning the truth that she’d suspected ever since coming back. She was too damaged. She’d been in Pandoria too long. She couldn’t conceive, she couldn’t carry, she didn’t even get periods anymore. She found no comfort in that fact.

But, after wallowing in her misery, Anne remembered all the research she’d done while trying. She did know how to raise a baby, she’d just… forgotten for a while.

“I’ll be right back,” Anne whispered, and headed for the small library. She was glad that she hadn’t thrown her notes away in her rage, or burned them. Though it had been a close thing. Instead, she’d teleported over to the bunker and just stared at Mandy for a while, crying.

Several teleports later, Anne had all she would need for caring for an infant. She also knew that Mandy was miserable. And honestly, she couldn’t blame her. Far from home, kidnapped twice, and now living with a stranger. But at least the castle was more comfortable than Dark Core. It had to be, right? Though maybe a sea creature would be more comfortable near the ocean…

Well, she couldn’t do anything about that. Only Katja could access Fort Maria, and Fort Pinta was just a tourist attraction now. So the castle was the safest place for Mandy, at least until her parents calmed down. The last thing a miserable baby needed was a mother crying her heart out over her.

But as soon as Mandy stopped crying, Anne started again. Here she was, with Alex’s baby just like she’d dreamed of, but not like she’d dreamed of. The baby belonged to another woman, one who would tear Anne apart if she got the chance. And one who Alex loved with all her heart and soul. She had to give the child back. But maybe, while she waited for the parents to arrive… well, maybe she could be a mother. Just for these few hours. And Alex would be grateful to her for looking after her child, and there might just be a chance…

“Stop being so selfish, Anne,” Anne whispered to herself, wiping away her tears. “It’s Alex’s baby. She deserves to be with her parents.” She knew it was true, but something in her still urged her to keep the baby forever. Raise Mandy as her own daughter.

Anne watched Mandy while she slept, though in a different way than before. She no longer looked at the child with longing. Instead, it was with… fondness. This may be her only chance to feel like a mother. She was going to take it.

When Mandy woke up, Anne fed her with formula and then nursed her as her research had taught her to. Her heart swelled with love at holding the baby, and she felt tears leaking from her eyes. How could she love this baby, when it wasn’t even her own? And she never would be.

Voices at the door stirred Anne from her light doze, and she shifted Mandy in her arms to make them both more comfortable. Alex’s daughter was awake, and looking at her with Alex’s eyes. Anne smoothed a hand over the blonde hair.

“You could be mine,” said Anne. “I want you to be.”

The nursery doors flew open, and Anne immediately knew that the newcomers had heard.

“Give me my baby back now,” said Katja, standing in the doorway. Alex was beside her, glaring at Anne. She looked disappointed, and Anne felt her heart twist.

“I saved her,” said Anne. “She was with Dark Core.”

“No she wasn’t, I bet you stole her all along and just told people that she was with Dark Core,” said Katja. “To make yourself seem like a hero, right?”

“No, I swear,” said Anne, instinctively holding Mandy closer to her. She realised her mistake as soon as she’d done it. Katja growled and took a step towards them, holding out a clawed hand. Alex grabbed her other hand.

“Wait,” said Alex. “She’s right. We saw the goons on the security footage, remember?”

“Why did you leave her alone, anyway?” asked Anne. “You’re not a very good mother, then.” Katja advanced another step, seething. A forcefield flickered into place around Anne and Mandy, pink with Pandorian magic.

“You’re always there, you should know why,” said Alex.

“Hmm, oh right, that day was your ultrasound appointment, wasn’t it?” said Anne. “You’re flaunting what I can’t have.”

“Ugh, so you can’t have a baby with Alex, so what? There are plenty of other people out there, and you like guys too so it shouldn’t be too hard,” said Katja.

“I can’t,” said Anne, her icy tone concealing her feelings. “Because Pandoria wrecked me. I’m infertile now, because someone was more focused on you instead of rescuing me.”

“I guess karma does exist,” said Katja. “You made Jess infertile when you banished her the first time, too.”

“What?” said Anne. The words cut deeper than the lack of sympathy she’d been expecting. She’d inflicted this pain on someone else?

“Yes, that’s right,” said Katja. “Now you know how it feels.”

“Well, I guess you know how it feels, too,” said Anne, but she did too.

“Anne, you know how important this is for Katja,” said Alex. “You can’t have children, and it’s a miracle that we even got Mandy.”

“I was going to give her back anyway,” said Anne. She let the forcefield fall, and Katja grabbed her daughter and immediately began cooing over her.

“Did you know about your problem before you found out about Mandy?” asked Alex. Her care made Anne conflicted. She was happy that Alex cared, but… it could never be more. Her next words would probably make her seem like a selfish bitch, but she did anyway

“No,” said Anne, her voice fraying as her emotions did. “After I found out that you had a daughter, I wanted to see if it was possible to… to have your baby.”

“What, by stealing my DNA?” said Alex.

“Yes, because I wanted to have your baby,” said Anne. She flinched at a touch on her face, but it was only Alex tilting her chin up. Anne went in for a kiss, but Alex sent a jolt of electricity through her, stopping her.

“No,” said Alex. “You could’ve asked.”

“I can’t even conceive magically, though,” said Anne, tears flowing down her face. “I’m broken. It’s like it doesn’t even exist.”

“How did Jess fix it, again?” asked Alex, turning to Katja.

“She was fixed in the Dark Rider ceremony,” said Katja.

“Well, I guess that rules out any hope for me, then,” said Anne.

“We’ll discuss this at home, Alex,” said Katja. “Come on, Mandy probably needs a proper feed and to be close to the ocean.”

“I tried my best,” said Anne.

“Well, she’s alive, and she’s not crying,” said Alex. “I guess that’s good enough.” She looked at Katja.

“Thanks for rescuing my baby and looking after her,” said Katja to her feet.

“It means a lot to us, Anne,” said Alex. “Thank you.”

Katja walked out, leaving Anne and Alex in the room alone.

“Did you rescue her for your own purposes?” asked Alex.

“I heard her crying and my instincts took over,” said Anne. “I’ve felt maternal since I rescued her.”

“And why didn’t you return her as soon as you found her?” asked Alex. “Maternal instincts again?”

“No, I just knew that Katja would be too emotional to look after a child properly,” said Anne.

“Katja is a good mum,” said Alex, frowning.

“Her emotions get the best of her all the time, Alex,” said Anne. “You know how she is. She’s unbalanced.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” said Alex. Anne knew that it was true, but it twisted the knife all the same.

“Takes one to know one,” said Anne sharply. “I gave you your daughter back, now go away. I have to be crazy in peace.” Her eyes filled with tears while Alex continued looking at her. She wanted Alex to wrap her arms around her and comfort her, like she’d done so many times before when Anne had looked at her with tear-filled eyes.

But Alex just walked away, leaving Anne to sob in her empty nursery alone. Like she had so many other times. Anne supposed that it was karma again, punishing her for making Alex cry so many times.


End file.
